How to describe this? It’s really not a recipe – just ingredients and an idea of how to put it all together. Our friend Tom made this the other day and I was immediately hooked. How can something that just looks so simple end up feeling immensely satisfying and ever so delicious??
Looks like a pile in a pot ….. right? But, oh so good! I could eat this on a weekly basis!
The base of this broth is as simple as the kombu you create it with. Add about a 6 inch piece to 8 cups of water, let it sit for about 15-30 minutes, and then bring to a boil and allow to simmer until the kombu softens. Some recipes will say to remove it at this point, but I didn’t, and we ate it – a bit chewy but still good!
Prepare all your vegetables while the kombu softens. and broth simmers.
Keep the vegetables in groups according to how long it takes them to cook. i.e., cabbage takes longer than snap peas!
I used:
- savoy cabbage
- carrots
- sweet peppers
- snap peas
- bok choy
- red onion
- asparagus
- bean sprouts
For a protein I used chicken breast and tofu. The sky is the limit here, you can easily use whatever you like – just be aware of how long it will take to cook it, and put it in at the right time. The last thing you want is soggy veg.
Prepped and ready to go.
If you have a pint sized helper like Stella, she will add the vegetables in the right order and keep everything moving. That is teriyaki chicken beside her, and it was fantastic too.
For serving you need:
- Ponzu (citrus soy sauce)
- chili oil
- toasted sesame seeds
- thinly sliced green onions
- cilantro, roughly chopped
- Goma Shabu Sesame Sauce (I don’t have that one …yet)
Prepare Udon noodles while the sauce simmers.
The main objective here is not calling it a noodle bowl. They finish off the show. If you have individual mini bowls then each person can have their little assortment of the above condiments and sauces. Traditionally you would ladle the veg & protein into your bowl, accepting the small bit of broth that comes with it. You can either dress your bowl with the above, or dredge each bite in the accompaniments – your choice. The pure joy in this comes from adding your finishing touches so everybody has it just they way they like. When everybody is finished, then you add the noodles to the hot broth. Once again, traditionally this would be on the table with a heating vessel to keep everything hot but I found it was warm enough to stir in the cooked noodles once we had finished eating the first “course”. Those noodles are such a delightful way to finish slurping up your meal.
Shopping List:
- assortment of veg
- protein of choice
- udon noodles (I like frozen best, if you can’t get fresh – over dried)
- condiment toppings …… ponzu, sesame sauce, chili oil, sesame seeds, cilantro & green onion
- kombu
This is the dried kombu I found – you only need about 1/2 of one piece to go with 8 cups of water.
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